Sunday, 16 July 2017

Roger Federer became the first man to win Wimbledon eight times and extended his record to 19 Grand Slam titles with victory over Croatia’s Marin Cilic.

The Swiss third seed won 6-3 6-1 6-4 as seventh seed Cilic struggled with blisters on his left foot and broke down in tears during the second set.

The 35-year-old finished the contest in one hour and 41 minutes to claim his first Wimbledon title since 2012, thus cementing his place in the very fabric of the All England Club by becoming the only man to win an eighth Gentlemen’s Singles title.

With the victory, Federer now move past both Pete Sampras and William Renshaw, who each won seven titles at the grass-court major, for the most men’s titles in the history of the event first held in 1877.

“I always believed that I could maybe come back and do it again. And if you believe, you can go really, really far in your life, and I did that,” Federer said. “And I’m happy I kept on believing and dreaming, and here I am today for the eighth. It’s fantastic.”

“It is cruel sometimes,” Federer said of Cilic’s physical difficulties.

“But Marin fought well and is a hero, so congratulations on a wonderful tournament.”

With 19 major titles, he extends his lead over Rafael Nadal in the men’s game to four, and now stands joint-fourth on the all-time list with Helen Wills Moody, five behind Margaret Court on 24.